Why is it that these days, "good design" seems to imply, flat, shapeless and colorless?
I'm talking about the design of computers and the like... Apple products being the prime example, but it also extends to, for example, recent Nintendo consoles -- like the Wii and the DS Lite.
I really don't understand the appeal of this trend. I mean, minimalism is one thing, but since when did color and shape become bad things? I remember Macs being colorful and curvy... and then at some point they decided everything had to be flat and white.
I also notice the advent of self-proclaimed design pundits that criticize anything that doesn't fit the flat/colorless/shapeless mold. "Oh yeah, the old design of the DS was really bad, typical Nintendo", some guy on Youtube says. Why was it bad, exactly? No clue; at least it was available in blue and silver and could not be mistaken for a cutting board. (The same can be said for Apple's original iBooks, vs their MacBooks nowadays.) •1
My guess is that someday the pendulum will swing the other way again, maybe because everybody's homes will be full of similar-looking, white, featureless, personality-lacking items... at which point it will be time for color to be "in vogue" again.
:::
•1 -- Note: I do appreciate the actual technical improvements in the DS Lite, like the brighter screen.
